Vodafone says a drive to bolster its customer service will result in the creation of 2,100 jobs in the UK.

The mobile phone operator said the roles would be in place over the next two years with almost 800 new jobs in Manchester, almost 150 in Newark, more than 150 in Stoke-on-Trent and around 100 in Glasgow.

In addition, its third-party customer service partners will create almost 600 jobs in Newcastle upon Tyne, nearly 200 roles in the west of Scotland and 100 in Cardiff.

The company, which made the announcement amid reported job losses at its Newbury headquarters, said the expansion was part of a £2bn investment over three years in the UK.

Its UK chief executive, Nick Jeffery, said: "These new, skilled roles will make a real difference to our customers and a real difference to the communities that are the focus of our customer services investment.

"Our ambition is to give our customers the best experience possible, providing an outstanding level of service and support as we continue to invest in building the biggest and best network in Britain."

The company, which has 18 million UK customers, already employs 3,700 customer service workers in the country either directly or through outsourcing.

Vodafone warned after the EU referendum that it would consider potentially shifting its HQ outside the UK.

Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Karen Bradley said: "Vodafone is one of our country's great international success stories and it's fantastic this global organisation is demonstrating its confidence in the UK by creating new jobs across the North, in the Midlands, in Scotland and in Wales.

"We are working hard to create the right conditions for commercial investment in the UK, and today's announcement is proof that Britain is well and truly open for business."